Joseph Parker - where's the on switch?
As a long-time fan of Joe Parker, yesterday's fight against Derek Chisora answered a question many followers of his may have for the last few years - how he switches off.
Firstly, commentators speculated that Joe was under instructions to whether the storm and rely on Derek tailing off in the middle rounds. If that was the instructions the fight showed it was a mistake. Joe needed to take a leaf from the Evander Holyfield v Tyson fight when to everyone's surprise Evander got right in front of Mike and bullied him. Joe showed he can punch whilst going back. Had he also gone to the left and right he could have started punishing Derek from the outset and not have a nail-biting finish.
When Joe got to his feet quickly after the early knockdown then was the time to start getting combinations going, the ones we saw late in the fight - where his punches were fast clean, and solid. He looked good. As it was he provided Derek with confidence that he could win. Joe needed to take that confidence away straight after. Let Derek know he was in fight, was going to get punished or knocked out from the get-go.
Even the Ali rope a dope employed against Forman would have been alternative tactics - especially after the knockdown which should have resulted in a change to the plan if it was indeed what many thought it was. The thing about bullying Chisora, or punishing in bursts throughout is that Joe showed in the late rounds he was capable of it. He also showed superior fitness to what we have seen for some time and the hand speed was back in spade fulls.
I think about round 10 everyone must have heard Joe's corner urging him to let fly, but he didn't. He wasn't listening or was switched off in some way. He's got to get that out of his boxing, he's got to concentrate on every second in the ring and get mean at the start just as Derek did to his great credit.
Joe knows where he is on the mountain and if it were a real mountain he could fall in a second if he is not alert to everything around him. Joe has come across as a great sportsman, witty and engaging - now is the time to come across as a great fighter, mean and fully concentrating - not only to what is before him in the ring but also to his trainers. Have only 1 thing in his head - winning and not talking about it. I think he puts himself to sleep with his laid-back style - plenty of time for that in retirement, but right now he needs to own every ring he steps into.
Great to see the flashes, bad to see the lapses, real bad.
